Snowstorms Mean More Search and Rescue Missions for CHP Air Operations

EL DORADO COUNTY -- With search and rescue crews on the ground, CHP Valley Division Air Operations have been busy.

A call for help from a skier came in Sunday afternoon. The man had fallen hundreds of feet at Mount Tallac, crashing into rocks on his way down.

The skier needed to be hoisted to safety before being taken to a Reno hospital with major injuries. He would survive.

Unfortunately, it was not a survival story out of Echo Summit Sunday night.

Early that evening, a passerby noticed a bike near the side of the road. Footprints in the snow lead to a cliff.

After suspending the search overnight, a CHP helicopter helped spot the body of the male victim Monday morning.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said the man's injuries appear to have come from him falling off the cliff.

CHP Officer Jared Boothe said it is no coincidence that his department is receiving more helicopter assistance requests shortly after a major snowstorm.

"So we have a lot more people going out there. So we always caution people to know where they are going," Boothe told FOX40. "Have ways to communicate in case something happens. Make sure your cellphone is charged and that you have cellphone reception. Take a GPS device with you in case your cellphone does fail."